“He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash.”
~ 2 Kings 14:3
Hi James and Ellen,
Palestinian guys, gals and kids have an ingrained hate for the Jews who are living in Israel. Jews are Israelite people group guys and gals – God’s specially chosen guys and gals. Palestinian guys and gals are willing to blow themselves up in markets, in restaurants and on busses – wherever there are Jews, in order to kill Jews. How would you like it if there were guys and gals here in the United States – like Palestinian guys, gals and kids, who inherently dislike you for one reason or another? What do you think that life would be like if there were guys and gals living here in the United States who were willing to blow themselves up in malls, in schools and on trains – in hopes of killing as many guys, gals and kids as they can who they innately loathe? Guys and gals killing other guys and gals has been a part of life ever since sin’s tentacles were first enabled to mess with Eve’s mind. Hatred between factions of guys and gals today includes Iraqi guy and gal Shiites wanting to kill Iraqi guy and gal Sunnis and visa versa. Vests and vehicles that are filled with explosives are used by an elusive, loose knit and multinational network of guys and gals – who are referred to as freedom fighters, terrorists, guerrillas or rebels, when they are denotated to slaughter indiscriminately innocent guys, gals and kids in marketplaces that are filled with guys, gals and kids, among lines of police recruits and next to passing vehicles of soldiers. Hutus used genocide in an attempt to purge Rwanda of Tutsis. Hitler used genocide in an attempt to wipe out the Jews who were living in Germany. Islamic belief condones and even encourages killing guys, gals and kids who are pro Jew and who are perceived to have imperialistic aims or promiscuous lifestyles – resulting in guys killing in midair airline pilots and then flying the airplanes that they pilots had been flying into the Twin Towers and into the Pentagon. During the first four year missionary term that your grandmaa and grandpaa spent in Bolivia, there were coups that involved the Bolivian military. Leaders of countries or people group of guys and gals have been assassinated by guys who have wanted the power and prestige of being the leader of the country or of a people group of guys and gals. A couple of years after your grandmaa and grandpaa arrived in Guatemala as missionaries, the prolonged and very contentious civil war between rural, indigenous Mayan people groups of guys and gals and the Guatemalan army was resolved – but not before thousands of guys, gals and even kids with a Mayan heritage were killed by the Guatemalan military. Your grandpaa several year ago visited a Nueva Esperanza Programa de Educación Bíblica (Bible Education Program) graduate who had become the pastor of an evangelical church that was located in a village that had been overrun by the Guatemalan military during the civil turmoil era in Guatemala. Martín told your grandpaa that the village had to be literally rebuilt with new guys and gals because the majority of the guys, gals and kids who had been living in the village – over one thousand in all, had been killed by the Guatemalan military.
Amaziah – in 796 B.C., took over being a Judah king to rule over God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area. Amaziah would be a Judah king for 29 years. Jehoash had been an Israel king for over a year over God’s specially chosen guys and gals who were living in Israel’s land area when Amaziah became a Judah king. The King Book historian’s lowdown of Amaziah and Jehoash – and on the kings who followed them, is found in 2 Kings 14. When Jehoash died in 782 B.C., his kid Jeroboam II followed him as an Israel king. After Amaziah was killed by some guys who followed him to the town of Lachish – where he had fled for his life, his kid Azariah became a Judah king. Azariah was 16 years old when he took over being a Judah king. Amaziah appears to have done so-so as a king. Verse 3 says that “He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not as his father David had done. In everything he followed the example of his father Joash.” Amaziah messed up when he did not see to it the destroying of all the high places that were in Judah’s land area. Because Amaziah did not demolish all the high places in Judah’s land area, the high places were used by guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area as places to go to to offer sacrifices and to burn incense to their pet gods. Amaziah executed the guys who murdered his dad. Amaziah took on in the Valley of Salt a 10,000 enemy Edomite people group army defeating them and capturing Sela – the Edomite people group’s mountain stronghold known as Petra. Because of his success against the Edomites, Amaziah thought that he could challenge Jehoash and his Israelite people group army. Jehoash snubbed Amaziah. Amaziah and Jehoash were kings of sister people groups of guys and gals – God’s specially chosen guys and gals. It was bro against bro as Amaziah kept on baiting Jehoash to fight him. Jehoash finally had enough of Amaziah’s arrogance and took on Amaziah and the Judah people group army. The guys who were in the Judah people group army – instead of fighting Jehoash and the Israelite people group army, ran for their lives to their homes. After he captured Amaziah, Jehoash looted the city of Jerusalem – taking with him what gold, silver and other articles that were still left in the Lord’s temple and in the royal palace treasury. Jehoash tore down about a 600 foot long section – from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, of the wall that surrounded the city of Jerusalem.
Even though both Azariah and Jeroboam II secured and expanded their land areas, their lives did not end well. Azariah was a Judah people group king for 52 years – twenty-five of those years with his dad. Jeroboam II was an Israelite people group king for 49 years. A guy killing another guy for whatever reason will never lead to resolution.
2 Kings 14 (665)